Preschool Easel Painting Activities

Inside: This collection of preschool easel painting activities includes tips and simple and fun painting ideas!

Young children love to paint on the easel, but did you know there are also lots of benefits to this activity?

We provide easel painting daily in our toddler and preschool classroom, and it’s been a great way to work on color mixing, self-expression and creativity.

Get out your easel and put it to good use with these tips and activities!

Preschool Easel Painting Activities

The benefits of working on an easel:

Fine motor: Moving the painting tool from the paint container to the easel surface requires focus and control.

Large motor: Because of the angle of the arm, using the easel works the shoulder and entire arm. The bigger the surface, the more exercise this area of the body gets.

Cognitive skills: There is a lot to figure out while using an easel, such as how the paint will get on the paper, how the different colors will mix, and how to handle the drips that occur.

Social Skills: Toddlers and preschoolers can work side-by-side or, if you have a 2-sided easel, across from each other.

Creativity: There is no specific outcome expected when creating at the easel. The artist can choose how much or how little to apply to the surface, creating any desired design.

Introducing the easel:

When we first introduce the easel to our toddlers and preschoolers, we use a sheet of white paper and one color of paint. We show them how to move the brush from the paint container to the paper, and then back to the paint pot to apply more paint.

Our easel is situated over a linoleum floor, so wiping spills is easy. If you are planning to put your easel on carpet, you will want to protect it with some sort of vinyl tablecloth or tarp.

How to Build Toddler Fine Motor Skills by Using Brayers at the Easel

Tools to paint with:

We start with paint brushes as our toddlers and preschoolers become familiar with the easel. However, once they feel comfortable, we substitute the paint brush with other fun tools or objects.

Brayers
Corks
Rolling pins
Cotton Swabs
Sewing spools

Waffle Blocks
Kitchen utensils
Toy cars

Paint rollers
Feathers
Combs
Toothbrushes

Pipettes
Cotton balls on clothespins
Sticks
Balloons

Stampers
Do-a-Dots
Cookie Cutters

Surfaces to paint on:

Yes, paper is probably the most popular surface to paint on the easel. We even like to cut the paper into different shapes to, perhaps, go along with a theme. But there are so many other materials you can place on the easel!

Bubble wrap
Tin foil
Freezer paper
Burlap
Cardboard
Coffee filters

What to paint to use?

Again, there are a lot of options on what to use at the easel. You can try most recipes that you would use on a flat surface and see what happens when they are done vertically.